CNBNews

Media Release

Castleton, VT (2/28/08) – Rich Alercio, photo,  (Hamilton, NJ), assistant football coach at The College of New Jersey was introduced on Thursday as the first head football coach at Castleton State College (Castleton, VT) at a press conference. Alercio has accepted a position as the head coach for the Spartans and will lead the team when it officially commences varsity competition in 2009.

At the press conference, Castleton State College Associate Dean of Athletics and Recreation, Deanna Tyson, announced the hiring of Rich Alercio as Castleton’s inaugural head football coach. The college received more than 150 applications for the position.

Tyson said, “The five candidates we interviewed on campus were all well qualified to coach at Castleton, but Rich Alercio is the best fit for our athletic program. He is going to be a tremendous role model for our male athletes – on the field, in the classroom, and in the community.”

At Castleton Alercio will be charged with starting the football program from the ground up, with the team’s first game slated for the 2009 season. His official start date will be July 1, 2008, but he will be involved in the hiring of a full-time assistant coach, along with the planning of the new Spartan Stadium, home of Castleton football.

Along with 21 years of coaching experience, Alercio brings his wife and three sons to the Castleton community. “I felt this is a place where my family and the football family can be together,” he said.

With the addition of football, Castleton will offer 20 varsity sports. The college is a member of NCAA Division III and does not offer athletic scholarships.

Castleton competes in the North Atlantic Conference, which recently added football as a conference sport. Castleton becomes the seventh member to sponsor football in the NAC, along with Becker College, Gallaudet University, Husson College, SUNY Maritime College, Mount Ida College, and Norwich University.

John Castaldo, Director of Athletics and Recreation at TCNJ said, “Rich has been a dedicated staff member and the athletic department wishes him well in his new endeavor.” Castaldo added, “Rich has been a valuable role model for our department and he will surely be missed. We wish Rich all the best in his new position.”

Alercio has been with the Lions as the program’s first and only full-time assistant for the past 15 years. He has served as the Lions’ offensive line coach, and has also doubled as one of TCNJ’s chief recruiters, while also coordinating the offensive game plan and preparation.

Alercio had a fine athletic career at Ursinus College where he served as team captain and earned the Big Bear Award for team leadership as a starting center on the football team. A graduate of Toms River North High School, Alercio returned to his alma mater in 1988 serving as an assistant football coach. While there he was in charge of the varsity squad’s defensive line while also heading up the sophomore football team.

Alercio graduated from Ursinus in 1987 with a BA in economics, and from there he went on to work as an economics teacher, defensive coordinator, and head lacrosse coach at Admiral Farragut Academy. He later served as an assistant football coach and director of intramurals at West Chester University from 1989 to 1991. Before arriving at TCNJ, he served as the assistant coach in charge of the offensive line and the long snappers at East Stroudsburg from 1991 to 1992.

Alercio and his wife, Kim, reside in Hamilton, NJ, with their ten-year old son, Jake, seven-year old son, Shane, and five-year old son, Trey. Alercio is a full-time athletic department staff member whose other duties at TCNJ have also included assisting with athletic development. He is a member of the American Football Coaches Association as well as the National Association of Athletic Development Directors and also serves as the Vice President of the Hamilton Little Lads Baseball Association.

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